Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Our class this year has been basically based around this book entitled Special Topics in Calamity Physics. This book is a murder mystery. I have never read a murder mystery before, and I was excited that, that was what the majority of our class would be around.

The book was a good book in my opinion. It held my interest, which was odd because it was such a long book (page wise). This book has been the longest book that I have read front to back! I felt some sort of accomplishment when I finished.

I was a little disappointed with the ending however. We have spent so much time in class talking about who killed Hannah, and you made it seem like when we finished the book we would know the truth, but we didn’t. I like that it made me think about everything that i had previously read, and try to make sense of the sketchy events. But I would really like to know if what I am thinking is right or not. I still want the truth about who killed Hannah! Besides for the ending the book was an all around good read.

I even enjoyed learning more about the works of the chapter titles. I had only heard of a few of them, and I was excited to learn about the others. Some of the installment readings that went along with the titles were difficult to read and understand, but when we went over them in class it made much more sense to me. I feel like this was a great book to base an English class around. It gave is ample amount of work, and I wasn’t just busy work, it had a reason. Allowing us to see a brief plot of what the next chapter was going to be about. I like making the connection between the two.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics was a great book, I am glad that I got the chance to read and, and analyze it in a way that I never would have if I were to read it on my own. I was skeptical about the book at first but as soon as I read the first three chapters I was hooked. The book was a great choice! Thanks!

Dutchman

Our reading for Installment number eight was Dutchman. It “was first presented at The Cherry Lane Theatre in New York on March 24, 1964.” This is a play the setting of the story is on a train. The two main characters are Lula, a thirty-year-old white women, and Clay, a twenty-year-old black man. This story doesn’t candy coat life at all. Lula is a loud opinionated women and she thinks that she knows everything about everyone, including Clay. She calls him out numerous times, and never fails to point out how shallow he is, keep in mind she just met him. She attempts to predict where he is getting of the train, practically guessing all the stops, so she was bound to eventually choose the right one. Once she successfully guesses what stop he was getting of at she tell him why he is getting off there. Clay participates in her game for some time, but as time went on and she kept on putting him down, he had enough. He stuck up for himself and put her in her place, something not many people have done to her though out her life. She wasn’t used to anyone standing up to her, she didn’t know how to handle herself. She threw a tantrum on the train for everyone to see. Started to reprimand Clay more then before, saying anything that popped into her head, no matter how hurtful it was.

I really enjoyed reading this play, which is odd because I usually hate reading plays. But I felt as if this one wasn’t candy coated, they didn’t make thing seem better then they actually are. They way that they spoke to one another was the same way that I would talk to my friends, it felt real. Even though that Lula is thirty she still knew exactly what the “cool” things were to do. And they didn’t try to hide the fact that people have sex and people go to parties, I like that about the play. I don’t like to be sheltered as a reader. Also the reading itself was an easy read for me. It wasn’t short but it flowed well, there wasn’t a point where I was like “when will I be done with this reading already?” It felt like pleasure reading, which I enjoy, and it rarely happens. I liked the segment of the Dutchman that we had to read.

"Chick-Flick"

The book that we have been reading all year has been Special Topics in Calamity Physics. I think that it has been a good book. It is interesting and appealing to our age group. The only bad thing that I have noticed about the book and some of the readings that go along with it is that I think that they may be gender bias, well maybe not bias, but I think the some of the readings and the book are more so for the girls in the class. I don’t have a problem with it, but since the class is mostly guys, when I want to go to talk to someone in the class about what we read, the first thing that they say is that it is such a “chick” book/ reading. And it is frustrating to always hear that. And personally I like to talk about what I read, because I don’t always understand what I read, until is it explained to me then everything will make sense. And I like to do this all before I get to class, so that I can participate with the class discussion, but if I go into the class with out fully understanding what read I am not going to be able to join the discussion. I am not going to be able to give my opinion because with out a full comprehension any opinion that I may have, sounds dumb to me. Personally I enjoy reading “chick flicks” but since I am one of four girls in a class of about thirsty kids, I don’t think what I like to read should triumph. I am not sure what guys like to read but maybe you could do an anonymous survey to see what they like. And next year use the results to some how incorporate more male oriented reading material into the class. I am not complaining about the readings I have enjoyed most of them, I am just saying this from what I have heard every time that I go to talk to any guy from the class about the readings and the book.

Transformation

Transformation is a fact of life. Everyone and everything will transform in one way or another throughout their lifetime, whether a person, a plant, you will take a form of transformation. I believe that I, at the age of 18, transformed in many ways.

Installment number nine was discussed today in class. The basis of the poem was transformation. We talked about the gods and goddess, how they can change themselves and people. In this poem they are both weaving pictures that resemble some form of transformation. Later after we had finished talking about the installment, we had an open discussion about transformation that we see today, in out modern society, considering that the poem that we just read was written in 1901.

There were many movies that were brought up, but one of them stuck out to me; little miss sun shine. This movie has a clear form of transformation in it.

In the movie Little Miss Sunshine, the transformation takes place with in the brother. This is a story of a family traveling across country. The family is not normal, well should I say not perfect. Each member of the family has their own issues, which is what makes this movie interesting. The brother is aware that everyone in his family has their problems so he has set himself apart from his family by taking a vow of silence. He plans to remain silent until he becomes a pilot. However on day when it was discovered that he is color blind. A pilot is not allowed to be color blind. When he realized this he has a huge breakdown and screams at the top of his lungs, everything that he has ever wanted in life has just become out of his reach, he can’t ever become a pilot. When this happens he has no where else to turn, besides his family that he had cut out for so long. But they had always stayed by his side. He transforms from thinking that he was better than his family to realizing that he is just like them and he had no reason to shut them out in the first place.

CNN

CNN is a new station. Cable New Network is what CNN stands for. Ted Turner founded the broadcast station in 1980. CNN was the first 24-hour News Station, and it is a reliable source that many Americans depend on for their daily news. "delivers the latest breaking news and information on the latest top stories"(CNN.com). CNN is also currently rated as America's number one Cable News Network.

Band-Aid

Invented back in the 1920's by Johnson and Johnson. A Band-Aid is and aid to help the healing process of cuts and scratches. It created an artificial barrier to protect the cut from bacteria and infection. The majority of Band-Aids today come with medicine already in them. The structure of a Band-Aid is basically a sticky strip about one inch thick and about two and a half inches long, with a one inch square of cotton placed in the middle. The cotton area is to be placed over the cut and the adhesive on either ends of it will hold it in place over the cut to protect it.

Grass Snake

The Grass Snake is a non-aggressive snake. They rarely bite, only under extreme conditions. They are not venomous even if they were to bit. Grass Snakes are commonly dark green or brown. They hibernate throughout the winter. Also they are typically found in the New England region. I would know, I live about one hour south of Boston and i see them all the time. I have always been terrified of them, but after researching them, i don't think that i am as afraid of them anymore, but we will just have to wait and see when i come in contact with one!

Pop-Tarts

Pop-Tarts were created by Kellogg's in the 1990's. They are a breakfast pastry, that was an immediate hit. The rectangle filled with a fruit filling and frosted with a sweet frosting fits perfectly in the toaster. It was fast and yet still hot, so it seemed home-made, yet it only took about 30 seconds to make. It was perfect for family's that were on the run. A grab-and-go breakfast food. It can also be eaten cold and at any point of the day, personally my favorite is the Snores and i eat it hot and cold at any time during the day. Pop-Tarts was a major innovation the the breakfast world!

Come Home Lassie

"Come Home Lassie" is from the movie Lassie. Lassie is a dog that runs away from home, on Lassie's journey to find her way back home she makes friends too. She is a female Rough Collie. Lassie Come Home was also a book that was published by Eric Knight in 1938, which the movie originated from.

West Side Story

The West Side Story is a musical from 1957. It was first presented on broadway, but is now a common highschool musical. The story is about two gangs. They are of diffrent backgrounds. It entales a love triange as well. The West Side Story is mildly related to Romeo and Juilet.

Easy Rider

1. African American Slang Term- name given to women who had been married more than once, or skilled sexually (having liberal sexual view)

2. Great Depression Term- name given to Americans who rode the railroad system.

3. Slang Term- given to children who performed chores around the house, instead of fighting in the war; they had an "easy ride"

4. 1969 Movie (Pictured)- Story of motorcyclist who wandered where ever they wanted, always riding Harley Davidson's.

E.T.

E.T. is a movie made in 1982. E.T. is and Extra-Terrestrial hence the name ET. It is the story of alien who is stranded on earth. He becomes friends with a boy, and his family eventually accepts ET into the family. Then movie captures everything that they encounter to keep ET away from the governmentThe film won an Acadamy award for science fiction and fantasy.

Joshua Cuthbert and Dinky

Joshua Cuthbert and Dinky are Disney characters, from the story The Fox and the Hound.

The Sunset Strip

The Sunset Strip is a mile and a half section of the Sunset Boulevard, in West Hollywood California. The Strip is best known for a the collection of boutiques, restaurants, rock clubs, and nightclubs that are on the cutting edge of the entertainment business. It is also known for its array of huge, colorful billboards.

Red Mafia

The Red Mafia is the Russian mafia invaded America. The Russian gangsters entering the USA and gained power through their personalities and roots that were already established here in the country. The Red Mafia is also the originators of the "black market".

The Waste Land

Written by TS Eliot in 1922, The Waste Land is what made Eliot world famous. The long poem, which is split into five sections, was originally even longer, the published poem is half the length of this original work. The poem combined different language with in one work, slang words and scholarly words.

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice was originally published in 1813. Written by Jane Austen, the book was the first romantic comedy of that era. The book was a great success, containing one of the most famous opening lines in English literature; "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." It more recently made into a popular film.

Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen is a wheat beer. It is a german beer. Hefeweizen wheat beer is beer in which the yeast is not filtered out.

Lacey Laurels

What is it? I found nothing. Page 189.

Genghis Kahn

Genghis Kahn was Monoolian. He was a skilled general, and he created one of the most powerful empires. He overcame all of his rivals. He introduced strong discipline, law, and order, promoting education and knowledge, and encouraging economic prosperity for his citizens. Genghis Khan also introduced drastic liberal reforms. Kahn was born in 1155 in Hentiy, Mongolia.

M*A*S*H

A TV series put out by Fox in 1968. The setting of the series is a group of people who serves at the 4077th Mobil army surgical hospital during the Korean War. And the show just describes all of the hardships that they encounter.

Zorro

Its was developed a few years after the film. Zorro is protecting the poor. And when he tries to warn others of something bad that may happen to them, he ends up getting himself into trouble. Zorro some how ends up putting his family in grave danger, and he has to do everything in his power to protect them.

USS enterprise

The USS enterprise when i looked it up, there were two things that came up a Navy ship and a Star Trac ship. I am going to tell you about the United States Navy Ship. Well actually USS is just a prefix that is used to describe United States Ships. They only began to use the abbreviation in the 1970's, but it is still currently used.

Gilda

A movie from 1946, was the peak performance of Rita Hayworth, as a "love goddess". Gilda is a singer and married to a man who owns a casino. And the story describes a secretive love triangle between them and one of his co-workers, which is revealed in the end.

USSR

The Union of Soviet Republics. AKA the Soviet Union. It was a group Communust states or republics, 15 to be exact. "The republics were part of a highly centralized federal union that was dominated by the Russian SFSR. After the USSR's collapse in 1991, all 15 SSRs became independent countries."

Shirly Temple

Bright Eyes and Curly Top are both nick names referring to Shirley Temple!

Hitchcock

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, born on August 13, 1899 in London and died on April 29, 1980 in Los Angeles. At age 22 he began to help work on his first film No. 13. Hitchcock emerged as a director in 1926, with The Pleasure Garden. He quickly became one of the most successful and highest paid directors in England. He enjoyed suspense, horror and drama. He did what he pleased with out worrying about how the public was going to judge his work, like the majority of directors were worrying about then, that was one of the reasons for Hitchcock's great success as a director, he wasn't afraid to take risks.

Bob Dylan

Formally known as Robert Allen Zimmeran. He had many nick-names but most commonly called Bob Dylan. He was Born in Minnesota on May 24, 1941. Dylan is a greal singer/songwriter. Throughout is career he has played various insturments such as; the guitar, keyboard, and the harmonical. He has been honored with numerous awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influencial People, and runner up in the Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Also he has been nominated for the nobel Prize a few times, but never recieved the award, but there is still time. Bob Dylan was a huge artist, with concerts here and in the UK.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Clause

The phrase "Yes Vriginia, there is a Santa Clause was a headline in the New York Sun, the appeared on September 21, 1897. It was published but a Dr. O'Hanlon in responce to his 8-year old daughters question, reguarding if santa was real or not. Now, she must believe it was in the Newspaper.

Dick Van Dyke

Dick Van Dyke for short was properly known as Richard Wayne Van Dyke. He was born an December of 1925, to go on to become a prominate actor, starring in an array of movies and shows. Dyke was a very versiatale man he did everything from acting to comedy and even dancing. Some of this most popular roles included; Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Diagnosis Murder.

A streetcar named desire

This tale originated as a play in 1948, but was also later made into a film, opera and ballet. It was written by Tennessee Williams. "The play is considered in modern society as an icon of its era, as it deals with a culture clash between two symbolic characters, Blanche DuBois—a pretentious, fading relic of the Old South—and Stanley Kowalski , a rising member of the industrial, inner-city immigrant class." (www. wikipedia.com)

Blue Lagoon

Blue Lagon is a book written in the early 1900's by an man names Henry De Vere Stacpoole. It is a romantic story about the survivors of a shipwreck. The book is the first book in a series of books to come including; The Garden God and the Gates of Morning.

Mattissee is a type of art that was developed in the 1860's. It was named after a french artist Henri Matisse. What made his art diffrent was his use of color, and "fluid, crilliant and original draughtsmanship." I have given an example of his work off to the left.

Known as Che Guevera, his real name was Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, born in 1928. He is most famous for his involvement in the revolution. Guevera was eventually captured in Bolivia, and executed, in 1967. After his death he became known as some what of a hero in revolutionary movements worldwide.

Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky is a famous 20th century Russian painter. He was the first to use "modern abstract works." To the left is an example of his work, it's entitled "On White II" from 1923.

Audry Hepburn

Audry Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929. Her goal was the make it as a ballerina, but when that didn't work out for her she became an actress. Broadway was were Hepburn starting. Some of her most famous roles were in Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, and Roman Holiday.